Roofing & exterior
Books and taxes for pressure washing companies.
A full day of driveways and decks, chemical and fuel costs that are small next to the labor, recurring commercial contracts, and a truck-mounted rig that's your biggest asset. Gus sorts it all, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
May cleared $14,200. The strip mall contract renewed for another quarter, so I kept that steady commercial income separate from the one-off driveway jobs.
- Residential job paymentsOne-off jobs
- Strip mall contract paymentCommercial contracts
- Surfactant and chemical orderChemicals and supplies
- Truck-mounted rig maintenanceEquipment upkeep
- Gas for rig and truckFuel
Why your books are different
Pressure washing books go wrong because volume hides the real numbers.
A generalist bookkeeper is used to a handful of big invoices a month. Your business runs on many small jobs a day, chemical and fuel costs that barely register next to labor, and a mix of one-off driveways and standing commercial contracts. Lumped together, you lose sight of what's actually driving profit.
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1
A full day of small jobs looks like noise
Ten driveway and deck jobs in a day can create a dozen small deposits that are easy to dump into one generic category, which hides which job types are actually worth the drive time.
What we doKeeps job types sorted so you can see whether driveways, decks, or house washing are pulling their weight. -
2
Commercial contracts get mixed with one-off jobs
A strip mall or property management contract that pays monthly or quarterly is steady, predictable income, very different from a homeowner calling for a one-time driveway clean. Blended together, you can't tell how much of your revenue is dependable.
What we doKeeps commercial contract income separate from one-off jobs, so you can see how much of the business is recurring. -
3
The rig's upkeep looks like a routine repair bill
A truck-mounted pressure washing rig is often the single biggest asset in the business, and a major repair or a new pump can be mistaken for a routine expense instead of the equipment investment it actually is.
What we doSeparates major rig repairs and upgrades from routine maintenance, so equipment spending shows up as what it is. -
4
Chemical costs get buried in general supplies
Surfactants, degreasers, and other chemicals are a real cost that scales with job volume, but if they're lumped into a catch-all supplies category, you can't see how chemical costs track against how much work you're doing.
What we doKeeps chemicals in their own category so you can see that cost move with job volume, not get lost in general supplies.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a pressure washing company.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- One-off jobsDriveways, decks, house washing, and other single-visit residential work.
- Commercial contractsStrip malls, property managers, and other recurring accounts.
- Fleet and equipment jobsTruck fleet washing and other business-to-business one-time work.
- Residential maintenance plansHomeowners on a yearly or twice-a-year washing schedule.
Money out
- Chemicals and suppliesSurfactants, degreasers, and detergents.
- FuelGas for the truck and the rig's own engine.
- Equipment upkeepRoutine rig maintenance, pumps, hoses, and nozzles.
- Equipment purchasesA new rig, pump, or major upgrade, kept apart from routine upkeep.
- Lead generationAngi, Google local services ads, and door hangers.
- Insurance and licensingLiability coverage and contractor license renewals.
What we watch for you
- Recurring revenue share
How much of the business is commercial contracts versus one-off residential jobs.
- Job margin
What each job type actually clears once chemicals, fuel, and drive time are counted.
- Chemical cost per job
Whether chemical spending is tracking with job volume the way it should.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so a busy season doesn't turn into a surprise bill.
Ask Gus
Things pressure washing owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
I keep job types sorted, so you can see over time whether driveways, decks, or house washing are actually pulling their weight against the drive time.
I booked it as equipment spending, not routine upkeep, since it's a real investment in the rig, not just maintenance.
If he's not on payroll and you pay him $2,000 or more this year, yes, by January 31. I'm tracking that as it comes up.
The tax side
The tax side of a pressure washing business.
Most of what goes wrong here is keeping chemical costs and rig upkeep visible against high job volume, and telling contracts apart from one-off work.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- The rig and equipmentA pressure washing rig, trailer, or truck bought for the business can usually be written off the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- 1099s for fill-in helpAnyone not on payroll who is paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list all year.
- Employee or contractorA helper who runs your rig on your schedule usually looks like an employee, not a subcontractor. Gus flags it before it becomes a habit.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when job types and contracts are tracked correctly all year.
Deductions pressure washing companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Surfactants and degreasers
- Rig pumps, hoses, and nozzles
- Fuel for the truck and rig
- Water tank and reclaim equipment
- Truck maintenance and repairs
- Angi and Google local services ads
- Door hangers and yard signs
- License and bonding fees
- Uniforms with your logo
- Phone for scheduling calls
- Card processing fees
- Storage for chemicals and gear
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A pressure washing year, kept every month.
Warm months bring the volume, but taxes come on their own schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, any fill-in help 1099s are finalized, and the monthly set-aside is planned before the season picks up.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed, with no surprise bill because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand at the peak of job volume, and whether commercial contracts are pulling their weight this year.
- October
Before the slowdown
A look at equipment bought during the busy months and any moves worth making before job volume drops.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for pressure washing companies. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions pressure washing owners ask first.
I run a lot of small jobs a day. Can Gus keep up with the volume?
Yes. He sorts every deposit into the right job type from your bank statement, whether it's one job or a dozen in a single day.
How does Gus tell a recurring commercial contract apart from a one-time job?
He keeps commercial contract income in its own category, so you can see exactly how much of your revenue is steady versus one-off.
The rig needed a major repair this year. How does that affect the books?
Gus separates a major repair or upgrade from routine maintenance, so it shows up as equipment spending rather than getting buried in monthly upkeep costs.
Do I need separate tracking for chemicals versus other supplies?
Yes, Gus keeps chemicals in their own category so you can see that cost move with job volume instead of disappearing into general supplies.
I sometimes bring in help for busy weeks. Does that change anything?
It might mean payroll instead of a 1099, depending on how the work is set up. Gus flags it and the accountant helps sort out which applies.
My books have never been organized by job type. Can Gus start from here?
Yes. Send your recent bank statements and Gus sorts them going forward, and the accountant checks the result.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever